Keeping Secrets
by fabianrutter
Summary: Everyone has their own childhood story, and here's the Anubis residents' revealed... Chapter One: Amber the Shopaholic.


So, I'm doing a one shot series. I'll do whatever couple/character is suggested.

These one shots can either be couples OR about a specific character and perhaps why they are the way they are, just like this first one.

I have the first four planned out by requests from Tammy, Dianna, and Remi. And then this first one is my idea.

Oh, to all US readers-How you likin' s2 so far?

**Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis.**

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><p>An eleven year old Amber Millington sat in the back of a taxi with her father, biting her quivering bottom lip.<p>

"But I don't want to go," she whined to her father who sat next to her her, her big eyes close to tears.

"It's what's best for you, pumpkin," he reached over and patted the little blonde's cheak.

"But I want to stay with you and Mummy and Allison and Anabelle and Ashley!" she protested with arms crossed. If her sisters didn't have to go, why did she?

"We just can't do that, princess," he sighed. He couldn't bring himself to tell her the real reason. With the three younger girls so much to handle as it was with the nanny, Mr. Millington always working, and Mrs. Millington taken ill, they couldn't keep track of their oldest. She needed attention, as Mr. Millington knew quite well, and that just wasn't something she could get at home. They had figured in boarding school, she'd get a good education as well as friends to be there for her.

"But what if Mummy gets more sick? She needs me there!"

"Mummy will be just fine," he reassured her, although he himself wasn't that sure.

Finally, they pulled up in front of the school, the tires slowly crunch over the gravel. Amber could hear every sound, dread welling up inside of her. All of these people were...strange. She didn't know them. What if they didn't serve you warm milk before bed like her mother (then nanny) used to? What if they didn't sing you back to sleep when you woke up with the nightmare of seeing your older brother drown in the stream when you were eight years old? What if they didn't help you with your science homework when you were utterly confused? What if...

"I'll walk you to your House, okay princess?"

"Okay," Amber looked down as she slowly exited the taxi. She saw their driver retrieving her luggage from the back, a pink suitcase and a large trunk. Her father payed the man and took the luggage, then motioning for Amber to follow him. She did, eyes never leaving the large school that stood in front of them.

"Well, isn't this breath taking?" her father whispered as they reached Anubis House. _It really is_, she thought.

"Amber Millington?" A plump but friendly looking dark haired woman came out of the front door. Amber nodded her head meekly. "Right this way, sweetie," she said with a warm smile. "I'm Trudy Rhemann, you're housemother!"

_She looks friendly enough..._ Amber thought as she tilted her head. She and her father followed Trudy's pointed direction into the large house. It took Amber a while to take in, the large staircase, the Egyptian-looking decorations, the common room. All of it was so different from the white furniture and walls in her own home, the large kitchen, her pink bedroom she shared with her six year old sister, Allison. But this house wasn't bad; she liked the feeling it had.

Suddenly, a dark skinned boy came skidding through the hallway, a lanky blonde boy on his tail.

"There are boys here?" she asked. She had been in too much distress over coming and leaving her mother to actually learn about where she'd be living.

"Four," Trudy smiled. "They live in this hallway here, and you and the other three girls will live upstairs," she explained, pointing a finger in each direction.

"Who were those two?" Amber inquired.

"Alfie Lewis and Jerome Clarke...Jerome's been here for quite some time, and Alfie arrived last year. They're quite the pair," Trudy chuckled.

"Oh," Amber said. She wasn't too interested, anyways.

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><p>Later that night, Amber sat in her unpacked room talking with a girl named Joy who lived in the room next door.<p>

"And my roommate is Patricia," Joy explained the house inhabitants, as she'd lived here for a year already like Alfie. "Your roommate, Mara, usually doesn't show up until tomorrow. She's been here for two years. She's really nice, and really smart. If you ever need help with homework, ask her."

"Okay," Amber nodded, basically what she'd been doing this whole time.

"Stay away from Jerome and Alfie, they're nothing but trouble," Joy gave her a serious look. "Even if Jerome _is_ cute."

Amber giggled at this comment, she'd noticed at supper.

"What about Fabian and Mick?" she asked. Both had arrived within an hour before supper, and both caught her eye.

"Don't know, they're newbies like you," Joy shrugged. "That Fabian's quite cute as well, though," Joy wiggled her eyebrows. Amber had to agree.

Joy proceeded to tell her about Nick, James, and Rebecca, the kids Mick, Fabian, and Amber were replacing. Nick and James, the twins, had been moved to another house. Rebecca had transferred to a different boarding school.

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><p>~Three Weeks Later~<p>

Amber had adjusted to boarding school life quite well. Although it wasn't home with her parents, sisters, and beloved nanny, Trudy and the rest of her housemates became her second family. It was only Victor and his creepy stuffed bird that ever bothered Amber...

She'd quickly become friends with all of the house inhabitants, even Jerome after she'd given him ten pounds to stay away from her things. She'd walk to school every morning with Fabian and Joy and Patricia, sit with Mara during classes, and walk home with Mara as well.

One day during a furious rainstorm, Amber ended up walking home alone since Mara wanted to stay back and talk to their English teacher, Mrs. Andrews. About three quarters of the way home, she felt something in her bag vibrate. It was the phone her father had given her in case of emergencies. She took it out of the bag after the third vibration and answered.

"Hello?" she said brightly, quickly taking cover from the now pounding rain under a large willow tree.

"Amber?" a dull voice asked weakly on the other line. Her mother...

"Mum?" she asked happily.

"Amber, sweetie," the voice sounded a bit relieved. "It's good to hear your voice."

"Okay," Amber giggled, not sure what this meant.

"Listen, sweetie, I just need to tell you something..." she began, now sounding a bit frantic.

"What is it?" Amber said, picking up her mother's tone.

"Amber, just know how much I love you. Never forget it. You'll always be my little sunshine," her voice cracked, and Amber heard her begin to cry.

"Oh-mummy, don't cry!" Amber said, tears coming to her own eyes at the sound of this.

"I'm-I'm sorry, sweetie. Just...just know...know," her voice grew weaker.

"Know what?" Amber began to panic.

"Know...know that I'll always...love...love you," she said, her voice smaller than a whisper, each breath being a great toll on her.

"I know!" Amber shouted, not knowing what was going on.

"I love-" her mother started, but Amber heard the phone drop. In the background, she heard her father's voice shouting and people rushing into the room.

Amber sat under the tree, calling out for her mother into the phone, but only hearing commotion in the background, eventually hearing a doctor rushed into the room. As she sobbed, Amber heard the doctor's words.

"She's gone."

That's when Amber dropped the cell phone.

She ran from under the tree, leaving her bag behind, and to a bush on the other side of the moor.

"She's gone. She's gone. She's gone. She's gone."

That's all that echoed through Amber's head. That, and the strangled cry that crept into her dreams every so often. The strangled cry of her older brother, Aaron, when he had drowned in the stream all those years ago. The strangled cry that could never leave her memory. She could still picture it perfectly.

It had been a warm summer's day, and her brother decided to take her to the stream behind their house, buried deep in the woods.

The stream was deep and had a quick, whipping current. Aaron thought it fun to hop on the rocks to try and get to the other stream while Amber watched from the path in delight. About half way across, Aaron's foot slipped. His head hit a rock, causing the cry that would haunt Amber's dream for years to come. He quickly slipped into the current and was carried downstream. Amber had let out a high pitched screech of terror, resulting in her father and Uncle running into the woods to find her trying to run along after Aaron's body minutes later.

Then he was gone.

And now her mother was as well.

Within three years, Amber lost two of the most important people in her life.

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><p>Days were spent mourning. All Amber really remembered was Mick and Fabian finding her in that bush, bringing her back to the house, her mother's funeral, and crying in her room.<p>

One day, she decided to use the laptop her father had bought her for school. She found herself looking at dresses and shoes that cost more than her school tuition.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind. An idea to smite her father for closing her and her sisters out of his world.

She bought them.

Bought them all.

A certain thrill came from purchasing all of these things, and Amber absorbed the feeling like her own personal drug.

She knew there would be no problem affording it but that it would still anger her father. And this was just fine with her.

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><p>Years passed, and even as a fourteen year old, Amber still found this pleasure. Only it hadn't cleared her feelings of remorse.<p>

During the day, Amber never had a second thought about her mother and Aaron being gone or her strained relationship with her father.

But at night, Amber would wake up, her face soaked in silent tears.

Buying the most expensive things her heart desired was a good day cover up, but nothing could shut out the feelings Amber Millington felt vulnerable to death. She didn't want the others to know this, though. She took up the act of "the dumb blonde" to keep any sympathy away. She didn't want it. She couldn't face it.

Only, she would learn that keeping things bottled up only led to your worst fears.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, shittiest one shot the HOA fandom has ever seen. I had it planned out well, I just couldn't actually WRITE the damn thing. So yeah. Tomorrow there should be a better one with Tammy, Remi, or Dianna's suggestion.**

If you review...wow. Bless your soul.

Sorry for the awful-ness...

~Katie


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